Police: South Seattle College employee spied on exchange student using alarm clock

Police: South Seattle College employee spied on exchange student using alarm clock

SEATTLE — A former South Seattle College employee is in jail after allegedly putting a spy camera in an exchange student’s bedroom.

The 52-year-old man is being held in King County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond on suspicion of voyeurism. Q13 News is not naming the suspect because he has not yet been charged.

According to Seattle police:

On Nov. 11, a foreign exchange student from South Seattle College contacted police. She said she is one of five women renting a house in the 5000 block of 16th Ave SW. The home is owned by a 52-year-old college employee who lives there. All of the renters are young women who attend the college.

The victim told police she moved into the home in September. When she moved in the suspect offered her an alarm clock. The victim accepted it.

About a week later, the suspect asked for the alarm clock back, saying the victim wasn’t using it. The victim thought it strange, wondering how the homeowner could know she wasn’t using the clock. A week later, he returned the alarm clock.

The victim inspected the clock and noticed a weird sound coming from it. She opened it and found a camera hidden in the back with multiple video cards. She watched the video cards, and they showed her in various states of dress.

Police contacted the suspect and found he had rented rooms to exchange students for years. It’s possibly he has done this with other exchange students, police said.

The suspect resigned from his job during the investigation, police said. He was arrested earlier this month shortly before he was scheduled to visit South Korea.

South Seattle Community College released the following statement:

“We are deeply troubled by the allegations involving a former South Seattle College employee and are offering our full support to police in their investigation while also launching an internal investigation. We are focused on supporting and assisting those impacted in our college community.”